Machine for the wet treatment of textile materials or the like



Sept. 20, 1949. M. CASSE MACHINE FOR THE WET TREATMENT OF TEXTILEMATERIALS OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1944 INVENTORMU/eca CASS? ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1949. M. CASSE 2,482,319

MACHINE FOR THE WET TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIALS OR THE LIKE FiledJan. 3, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENIOR MARcEL CA as:

ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1949.

Filed Jan. 5, 1944 M. CASSE MACHINE FOR THE WET TREATMENT OF TEXTILEMATERIALS OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV ENTO R MARcEL 645;?

BY G L ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1949 momma: FOR'I'HEWET TREATMENT orraxmsmrsamsoamarmn I Marcel Cause, Essonnes, France ApplicationJanuaryB, 1944, Serial No. sraaoz In France June I, 1941 Section 1.rubue Law 690, August a, 1940 Patent expires June 7, 19.61

Thepresent invention relates to machines for the wet treatment oftextile materials or the like, and in particular to the washing, dyeing,bleaching, dressing thereof, or other similar operations.

In known machines of this type, the treatment bath is caused tocirculate by means of a pump, propeller oi similar mechanism, either ina constant direction, or alternately in reverse directions, through aclosed circuit including a treatment vat containing the material to betreated and an axial funnel passing through the center of the vat andcommunicating with the latter through the medium of two sets ofperforated partitions which cause the bath to pass respectively from thevat into the funnel and from the funnel into the vat, one of saidperforated partitions constituting the bottom of the vat. When thedirection of circulation is modified, there is produced:

1. For one of the directions of circulation, a suction under theperforated bottom of the vat and a delivery into the axial funnel, thebath pouring from the upper part of the funnel on to the articlescontained in the vat;

2. For the reverse direction of circulation, a suction through the topof the funnel and a delivery under the perforated bottom of the vat,which lifts the articles being treated and changes the location thereof.

When there are many not very permeable articles to be treated, thecirculation is slackened' and the quantity of bath which pours out ofthe central funnel may be insufllcient for submerging the articles whichare located near the outer wall of the vat. Moreover, in machines ofsmall dimensions, the central funnel constitutes a hindrance for placingthe articles to be treated in the machine and for removing themtherefrom.

The present invention is intended to remove the above inconveniences andrelates to a machine for the wet treatment of textile material or thelike, in which the treatment bath is caused to circulate in a closedcircuit through a vat containing said material and through anotherenclosure communicating with said vat by means of perforated partitions,said machine being characterised in particular by the fact that saidchamber or enclosure is arranged entirely outside the vat containing thematerials being treated. Said enclosure can completely surround theperiphcry of the vat; it can also be constituted by one or more funnelsor vessels arranged at one of the sides of the vat or distributed aroundthe latter.

Claims. (Cl. 68--184) This arrangement leaving the vat entirely freeallows of designing said vatin such a manner as to facilitate itsoperation or of improving its construction, as will be shown in greaterdetail hereinaften'and for instance of rendering easier the treatment ofarticles liable to become entangled, such as skeins, stockings, etc.

v A few embodiments of machines according to the invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a first embodiment.

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a vertical section and a plan view of asecond embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a third embodi ment.

According to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, th machine comprisesa hollow base or frame i supporting an outer vat 2 and, through themedium of radial arms 3, an inner vat 4 provided with a perforated falsebottom 5. In a central opening 6 formed in the bottom 1 of the inner vat4, can rotate a propeller 8 carried by a shaft 9 which passes through astufling box In and on the lower end of which is rigidly secured adriving pulley ll actuated by the reversible electric motor l2. Adraining nozzle l3 connected to the outer vat 2 may be opened or closedby a valve II.-

The inner vat is provided at its upper part with a perforated zone l5which, in the example illustrated, is of truncated shape, but might becylindrical,- and the entire surface of which has an area substantiallyequal to that of the surface of the perforated false bottom 5, so as toobtain similar conditions of operation for both directions ofcirculation of the treatment bath.

When the propeller 8 rotates in one of the directions of rotation, itsucks the treatment bath through the perforated bottom 5 and delivers itinto the annular chamber [6 formed between the vats 2 and 4, from whichthe bath 'is again poured through the perforated zone l5 into the vat 4which the bath must completely travel through in order'to again passthrough the opening 6.

When the propeller 8 rotates in the reverse direction, it sucks the bathfrom the'chamber l6 formed between the vats 2 and l and delivers itthrough the perforated false bottom 5 into the vat l which the bath mustcompletely traverse in order to return into the chamber it through theperforated zone l5.

It will benoted that,, whatever may be the direction of circulation, thevat 4 is traversed by be given a height appreciably less than thatnecessary for the central funnel of known machines having a centralfunnel. I

A cover I2 can be placed on the upper opening of the vat of the machine;a packing I3 clamped by screws 14 allows of ensuring fluid-tightness andof either exerting a certain amount of pressure. on the surface of thebath, or of working under a certain degree of vacuum. The existence ofpressure on the surface of the bath allows the propeller to workefficiently and to sustain an active circulation even when thetemperature approaches, reaches or even exceeds 100 centigrade. In fact,the existence of said pressure avoids the product of steam on the sideof the orifice through which the propeller sucks the bath; the output ofsaid propeller thus remains constant at all temperatures. Thisarrangement offers particular advantages for centain operations whichmust be eflected at a temperature higher than 100 centigrade, such asthe bleaching of cotton for instance. The working under vacuum on thecontrary, is useful in some treatments, for instance for avoidingoxidation.

The form of construction illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 comprises threevertically superposed sections. The central section is composed of twocylinders I1 and I8, the cylinder I! which forms the treatment vat beingprovided with a perforated bottom I9 and the cylinder l8 beinginternally lined with a heating packet 28 and being traversed by a shaft2| which carries the propeller 22 and the upper extension of which issupported by bearings 23 and carries the driving pulley 24 actuated bythe reversible electric motor 25.

The upper and lower sections form two collectors 26 and 21 connectingthe cylinders I1 and I8 and are laterally limited, in the exampleillustrated, by two planes tangent to the upper and lower extensions ofthe cylinders I1 and I8 and by the parts of said extensions locatedoutside the tangential planes between said extensions, as shown in theplan view of Fig. 3. The lower section 21 is closed by a solid bottom 28on which bear the struts 29 supporting the perforated bottom I3. Thecylinder II extends into the upper section 26 as a tubular member whichmay have the shape of a perforated cylinder of the same diameter ascylinder I1, or the shape, illustrated in the drawing, of a doublefrustum, one inverted constituted by a solid wall 36 and the second 3ibeing perforated and fitting through its large base over the upper partof cylinder II, the surface of the perforated frustum 3| beingapproximately equal to that of the perforated bottom I9.

The bearings 23 and the motor 25 are carried by an upright 32 secured ona shoe member 33 on which the machine rests, the bottom 28 being securedto the shoe 33 by bolts 34 which prevent it from distorting under thesuction action of the propeller.

The heating of the bath can be ensured in the known manner by-a directadmission of steam into the bath. Said heating may also be indirect andensured by the Jacket 26 constituted by two cylinders concentric withthe propeller and joined drained through the nozzle 36.

being admitted through condensed water being The draining nozzle 3'!allows of evacuatingthe bath from the machine.- 1 I The operation of themachine is obviously similar to that of the machine illustrated inFig. 1. v This second embodiment allows of doing away with the,stufling-box of the example of Fig. 1,

at their bases, the steam the inlet pipe 36 and the and of constructinga machine of lesser height, in which all the mechanical part is veryaccessible and does not risk being deteriorated by leakages of the bath.

As regards the reheating jacket 26, in addition .to the known advantagesof indirect heating (con- -stant volume of the bath, etc.) it offers thefurther advantage of being easy to construct and of necessitating only asmall exchange surface, owing to the speed of thebath, to its turbulencein the cylinder I8 and to the rapidity of the heat exchangesresulting'therefrom.

Instead of a single cylinder I8, two or more cylinders similar tocylinder I8 might be distributed around the vat II.

Finally, the embodiment of Fig. 4, more particularly intended formachines of large capacity, combines the known circulation through afunnel at the centre of the treatment vat with the circulation,according to the principle common to the examples described above,through a space on the outside of said vat. A frame II ll constitutingthe frame of the machine carries, on a central member III and onbrackets II2, a vat II3 comprising at its lower part a draining valveH4. The central member III the medium of radial arms II5, the treatmentvat II6 the solid bottom II! of which is of frustum shape and which ismoreover provided with a perforated false bottom H8. The lateral wallsof the vat II6 have, near the upper part thereof, a perforated zonehaving for instance the shape of a frustum 9. A shaft I20 carried inbearings housed in the frame I I6 and driven by the reversible electricmotor I23 is arranged along the common axis of the vats I I3 and' I I6and carries, near the lower end thereof, two propellers I24 and I25respectively housed in a central opening of the bottom II I and in acentral opening of the false bottom II6, the blades of these twopropellers being inclined in reverse directions.

Above the perforated false bottom I I8 is mounted in the known manner asolid central funnel I26 surmounted-by a perforated cone I21. The totalarea of the perforated surface of said central cone I 21 and of thesurface of the perrated zone H9 is substantially equal to the "surfaceof the perforated false bottom II8.

Two concentric heating bodies I28 and I 29 are each constituted by twocylinders connected at their lower ends, as in the example of Figs. 2and 3, the steam being admitted through the inlet pipe I36 and thecondensed water being removed through the pipe I3I.

For one of the directions of rotation of the motor I 23 and consequentlyof shaft I20, thebath will be sucked from the space comprised betweenthe bottom II! and the false bottom I I8 and delivered by the propellerI25 through. the central funnel I26 and the perforated cone I21 and bythe propeller I 24 through the space comprised between the vats II3 andH6 and through the perforated zone II8 so as to fall on to the articlescontained in the vat II6. For the reverse direction of rotation, thebath will be sucked from the vat II6 through the perforated zones II andI21 thus supports, through and will be delivered in the space comprisedbetween the bottoms ll'l and H8 and through the perforated false bottomH8, lifting thereby the articles located on said perforated falsebottom.

The invention is obviously not limited to'the embodiments describedabove and which have been given only by way of example, andmodifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope ofthe invention. Thus, in the various embodiments, a cover can be appliedon the machine in a manner similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, forallowing the treatment to be effected under pressure.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for treating textile material, comprising a verticallydisposed cylindrical vat adapted to contain the material undergoingtreatment, a housing enclosing at least a portion of said vat and havingthe inner wall surfaces thereof spaced from the outer wall surfaces ofthe vat at the enclosed portion to provide a chamber, said chambercommunicating with the interior of the vat respectively only at thecentral lower end por-' tion and at the upper peripheral portion of thevat whereby a bath circulating circuit is provided, perforated closuremeans of substantially equal passage areas in the circuit respectivelyat said points of communication, the perforated closure means at theupper peripheral portion having the shape of a frustocone and having thelarger base thereof contiguous with the periphery of the vat, and meanslocated within said housing for propelling the bath through the circuitin either direction.

2. In a machine for treating textile material, comprising a verticallydisposed cylindrical vat adapted to contain the material undergoingtreatment, a housing enclosing at least a portion of said vat and havingthe inner wall surfaces thereof spaced from the outer wall surfaces ofthe vat to provide an annular chamber, said chamber communicating withthe interior of the vat respectively only at the central lower portionand at the upper peripheral portion of the vat whereby a bathcirculating circuit is provided, perforated closures of substantiallyequal passage areas in the circuit at said points of communication, theperforated closure at the upper peripheral portion having the shape of afrustocone and having the larger frustoconical base thereof contiguouswith the periphery of the vat, a tubular casing entering said vatthrough the perforated bottom closure, an inverted perforated frustoconeforming the upper end of said casing, and centrally located means forpropelling the bath through the circuit and through said tubular casingin either direction.

3. In a machine for treating textile material, comprising a verticallydisposed cylindrical vat having a liquid-tight wall for a substantialdistance above its bottom end to thereby form an enclosure adapted tocontain the material undergoing treatment, a concentrically arrangedenclosed cylindrical housing surrounding said vat and having an insidediameter greater than the outside diameter of the vat to provide anannular chamber, said chamber communicating with said enclosure withinthe vat respectively only at points above and below said liquid tightwall whereby a closed bath circulating circuit is provided, perforatedclosure means of substantially equal passage areas in the circuitrespectively at said points of communication, the closure means abovesaid wall comprising a perforated frustocone having the larger basethereof contiguous with the periphery of said wall, and the closuremeans below said wall comprising a horizontal perforated plate extendingover the entire crosssectional area of the vat, and liquid propellingmeans disposed concentrically of said vat and immediately below saidperforated plate.

4. In a machine for treating textile material, comprising a verticallydisposed cylindrical. member having a liquid-tight wall for asubstantial distance above its bottom end to thereby form an enclosureadapted to contain the material undergoing treatment, a secondcylindrical member arranged outside of and substantially parallel tosaid first cylindrical member, conduit means respectively connecting theupper and lower ends of said cylindrical members whereby a bathcirculating circuit is provided, perforated closure means ofsubstantially equal passage areas in the circuit respectively above andbelow said liquid tight wall, the closure means above said wallcomprising a perforated frustocone having the larger base thereofcontiguous with the periphery of said wall, and the closure means belowsaid wall comprising a perforated plate extending over the entirecross-sectional area of the first cylindrical member, and liquidpropelling means disposed within said second cylindrical member.

5. In a machine for treating textile material according to claim 4,further comprising a hollow steam Jacket surroundin'g'said secondcylindrical member and the propelling means disposed within the latter.

MARCEL cAssE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Ser. No. 251,638, Cass (A. P. C.) published May

